Sonya, muttering to herself, kept looking round toward the drawing-room door.

It opened and Nicholas came in.
"Sonya, what is the matter with you?
How can you ?" said he, running up to her.
"It's nothing, nothing; leave me alone!" sobbed Sonya.
"Ah, I know what it is." "Well, if you do, so much the better, and you can go back to her!" "So-o-onya! Look here! How can you torture me and yourself like that, for a mere fancy ?" said Nicholas taking her hand.
Sonya did not pull it away, and left off crying.

Natasha, not stirring and scarcely breathing, watched from her ambush with sparkling eyes.
"What will happen now ?" thought she.
"Sonya! What is anyone in the world to me?
You alone are everything!" said Nicholas.

"And I will prove it to you." "I don't like you to talk like that." "Well, then, I won't; only forgive me, Sonya!" He drew her to him and kissed her.
"Oh, how nice," thought Natasha; and when Sonya and Nicholas had gone out of the conservatory she followed and called Boris to her.
"Boris, come here," said she with a sly and significant look.

"I have something to tell you.